Apparatus for treating vegetable substances



7' 2- Sheets-Sheet 1. J. D. TOMPKINS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING VEGETABLE SUBSTANGES. No. 401,609.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 16, 1889.

ii. Illllli N, Patina imam-lithograph", wminmn. D.C.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2..

(No Model.)

J. D. TOMPKINS. APPARATUS FOR TREATING VEGETABLE SUBSTANGES.

Paten ted Apr. 16, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. TOMPKINS, OF BRAINARD, ASSIGNOR TO THE TOMPKINS PAPER STOCKCOMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEWV YORK.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,609, dated April16, 1889.

Application filed February 9, 1888. Serial No. 263,502. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN D. TOMPKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brainard, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forTreating Vegetable Substances for Making Paper- ?tock, of which thefollowing is a specifica- My invention relates to the class of apparatusfor reducing wood, straw, grasses, and other suitable vegetablesubstances by means of a chemical liquor and pressure of steam in theprocess of cooking, in which the chemical cooking-liquor is circulatedat will in alternating reversed directions through the digesting-chamberand the material massed within, as described in Letters Patent No.340,640, dated April 27, 1886.

The object of my invention is to provide a special construction of theannular internal series of connected pipes for receiving live steam andthe condensed-steam pipes, whereby said pipes can be readily placedwithin the digesting-chamber in sections and be united together and betaken apart and removed at will for coating their outer surfaces withmetal which will not be corroded by the action of the chemicalcooking-liquid employed within the apparatus. I attain this object bythe means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of thedigestingvessel. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line1 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2in Fig. 1.

The same letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawings, A represents the digestingvessel, made of any selectedform and dimensions and of material which will .be adapted for use inany selected known treatment of vegetable substances in either alkalineor acid chemical cooking-liquors under pressure and heat.

B is an upper strainer, and C the lower strainer.

O is the lower liquor-chamber, and D is the upper liquor-chamber and asteam-chamber combined.

E is a passage-way leading from the manhole F (closed by plate F andcrows-foot and bolt) through the steam and liquor chamber D and upperstrainer, B, to the digestingchamber a for passage of the wood, straw,or other material to be treated. Pipe b connects the chamber 0 with anysuitable liquor-circulating pump, A and pipe 0 connects chamber D withthe same pump, so that by their joint operations the cooking-liquidwithin the digester can be circulated at will. At the bottom of chamber0 is liquor-discharge pipe (Z, provided with valve 6, for drawing theliquor from the digesting-chamber. A suitable blow-off pipe, f, providedwith a suitable valve, (not shown,) is provided for discharging at willthe cooked product, and pipe g (indicated by dotted lines and shown byfull lines in Figs. 2 and 3) serves as a live-steam pipe leading from asuitable steam-generator (not shown) to the lower end of thedigestingchamber and at a point about relatively opposite the blow-01fpipe f.

The above-described parts are old and form no part of this invention.

H H are vertical steam-pipes so arranged within the digesting-chamber aas to form a connected series of pipes, which are in near neighborhoodall around the inner surface of the wall of said chamber and form acircle of pipes which will be concentric to the mass of material formingthe charge to be operated with and will permit the cookingliquor tosurround and have contact with the surfaces of the respective pipes inthe series. I yoke these pipes together in pairs at their upper ends bythe coupling-pipes h 71., Figs. 1 and 2, and also in pairs at theirlower ends by couplingpipes h h, Figs. 1 and 3. The latter couplingpipes, h, connect the neighboring pipes of adjoining pairs which theupper end coupling-pipes connect, substantially as shown. The connectedpipes of one of the pairs (held in union by connections h at their lowerends) are prevented having communication with each other by a suitableplug, 1), (shown in Figs. 1 and 3,) which plug effectually closes thelower ends of said connected pipes, so that steam cannot pass from oneto the other in a direct manner. {any other form of stop suitable forprevent- 1ng communication of the said pipes with each other can be usedin lieu of said plug i. One of the pipes in this uncommunicating pair isconnected with live-steam pipe J, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1and shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) which is provided for conducting live steamfrom a suitable steam-generator (not shown) to supply steam underpressure to the series of pipes H H. The other one of thisuncommunicating pair of pipes is provided with a steam-vent or blow-oifpipe, K, provlded with a valve. The other one of this uncommunicatingpair is provided with a vent or blow-01f pipe, K, by means of which thea1r within the pipes of the series can escape before the incoming steam,and air be admitted when the volume of steam within the pipes isreduced. L is the condensed-steam pipe, which pipe is connected atintervals with coupling-pipes h h of the series of steam-heating pipes HH by the nipple-connecting tubes m m, so that the water resulting fromthe condensation of steam in said pipes can readily run therefrom and bereturned into said pipe L, to escape thence through the outlet-pipe Minto a suitable steam-trap, N. I prefer to form this pipe L by means ofthe sections of pipes Z l and coupling-tubes n n, as shown; and in sucha case the coupling-tubes can be provided with screw-threaded nipples,with which the connecting-tubes m m will connect in coupling the pipe Lwith the coupling-pipes h h of the steam-pipes H H. i

The exterior surfaces of the several pipes and coupling-pieces and tubescan be coated with lead,which is readily done by any known process whenthe parts are disconnected. This lead-coating will prevent acid liquorsfrom corroding the iron of said parts. By making this is of greatadvantage, and effects a saving of I both time and labor over the outlayrequired to be had when internal steam-heating pipes are constructed andplaced in the digester in bulk or divisions, which necessitates theremoval of a head of the vessel.

Having described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In apparatus for making paper-stock, the combination, with adigester, of a circular series of vertically-arranged pipes extendingthe entire length of the digesting-chamber and arranged in pairs a shortdistance from the interior walls thereof, the neighboring pipes of theseveral pairs being connected at their lower ends by couplings, and thepairs at their upper ends, as described, a plug in one of the lowercouplings, and the live-steam inlet and bent pipes connected with theadjoining pipes, separated by the plug 2', substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the digestingchamber, of the circular series ofpipes connected above in pairs, the couplings h, connecting theneighboring pipes of the adjoining pairs below, the plug 1' in one ofthe couplings h, the inlet and bent pipes J K, a circularcondensed-steam pipe connected with the couplings h, and a pipe, M,connected with said condensed-steam pipe for carrying off the water ofcondensation.

JOHN D. TOMPKINS.

Witnesses: 4

CHARLES WETHERWAX, CHARLES SELKIRK.

